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Caption

Sentinel-1B satellite interferogram of a rift (red line) in the Larsen C ice shelf in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Image created by combining two radar images taken on the 7th and 14th April 2017. The growth of the rift accelerated, until on the 12th July 2017, an iceberg with an area of around 6,000 square kilometres calved from the ice shelf. As ice shelves float, the calving of the iceberg will not lead to immediate changes in sea level. However, the presence of an ice shelf slows the seaward flow of glaciers and ice streams. Loss of part of the ice shelf could lead to increased flow that could raise sea levels.